Atheists aren't those who are looking for an abolition of religion (they couldn't care less, provided it doesn't interfere with them). Anti-theists on the other hand, are.

Atheism is the state of being without a belief in a god or gods. No more, no less.

This state of mind incorporates no agenda. There is no dogma for atheism, no book or agenda or canon that says an atheist "must" be ok with religion, or not. Atheism doesn't define "couldn't care less" any more than it does "cares a lot" with regard to anything, including the lack of belief itself.

In the terms you're throwing around, an atheist might be anti-theist, or not. This is not a consequence of atheism, however. It is a consequence of how the individual sees theism -- which I suspect is in turn a consequence of how theists and the doings of theists have impacted the life of the individual, and those the individual cares about.

How much progress could be made if these religious fanatics (including Islamic states like Iran) could focus their energy on science rather than their own petty prejudices?

Well, when countries like Iran attempt to make their own advances in science, they get accused of wanting to develop WMDs and get threatened with military action by Israel. Could you imagine the uproar if Tehran tried to get into space exploration?

A good article [washingtonpost.com] on why the nuclear issue in Iran is also medical, and not just energy / weapons research.

I do agree with your point overall though. As someone who has visited Iran, their situation would be much nicer if the government spent their funds on their own

They also import Gas... makes you go WTF. They have so much oil, what do they need nuclear tech for? Yes, yes, i know medical isos.. they can buy those. I will be very surprised if Iran doesn't go for the A-Bomb.

Iran should spend that money on oil refineries, not uranium refineries.. reduce it's need to import gasoline.. use the fuel for electricity. Makes so much sense!

Iran's nuclear history started in the 1970s with the help of the US, back when Iran was an ally. The Shah was very forward-thinking and understood that oil wouldn't last forever. I believe the current estimate is that Iran has enough oil for maybe 75 years. This sounds like a long time, but only if everything remains constant.

Iran's population has doubled in the last twenty years, meaning their demand for power is far outweighing their supply. Even if

They want a nuclear deterrent but any indigenous use of nuclear power by Iran can displace oil which can then be exported. A nuclear power plant might as well be a bottomless cash machine from their perspective.

No, they've been plenty evasive about their research and deserve the scrutiny, but for people like me, it's also a matter of sovereignty and nationalistic pride. Does anyone ever question the U.S. when they develop high-tech weapons systems that later gets used to kill people on the battlefield? Nope. And if they do, they tell the world to fuck off, and rightfully so.

Part of me really wishes that the Iranians would just quit screwing around and focusing solely on nuclear research for energy purposes only. L